2014 Three Wine Company Mazzoni Petite Sirah 750 ml

Tannin That Cellars Longer Than Most California Cabernets

Wine Access clients know Matt Cline as the guardian of some of America’s greatest and most historic vineyards. When translated to bottle, these sites yield dramatic offerings, loaded with class and lush, dark-berry fruit. Mazzoni Vineyard is perhaps the crown jewel in Cline’s historic portfolio, planted in 1885 by Italian immigrants, Spike and Guido Mazzoni. In these sandy soils, rare 50-year-old Petite Sirah takes on a completely singular character. Exploding from the glass with notes of crushed violet, rich blackberry, and cracked pepper, the 2014 Mazzoni Petite Sirah achieves an unmatched balance of extraordinary opulence with vibrant acidity. Released at $38, we have it for just $29.99—21% off, courtesy of Matt Cline. With the natural tannin to cellar longer than most California Cabernets, we highly suggest buying this by the case and enjoying it now and over the next decade, or two.  

When you first set eyes on Mazzoni vineyard, you can’t help but do a double-take. There’s no dirt, no gravel, no galets roulés. Here everything is sand, in which many of the ancient vines planted got their start over a century ago when Portuguese and Italian immigrant families—the Mazzonis, Lucchesis, Evangelhos, and Jacuzzis—rode buggies down from the old Buena Vista Winery and twisted 6-inch budwood into the shorelines of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.

It’s not easy to grow Petite Syrah here, which is why Matt’s 50-year-old vines are both improbable, and incredible. The vineyard work required to maintain them is practically double, but so are the rewards. Rich, ripe, and massively concentrated, Cline’s 2014 is a historic wine with a humble price tag, an offering that would have made Spike and Guido proud.